<>"I am a 59 year old mother of one son and the wife of a very busy ENT. By education, I am an Occupational Therapist. I worked in Spine Rehab and with Swallowing Disorders for 18 years until we moved to North Dakota. We live on a Hobby Farm with a frequently changing number of Alaskan Huskies. I began racing in 2002 after my son started getting busy with after school activities and could no longer train and race. I was immediately hooked and love being able to share my dogs with many school children every year. I truly am blessed to be able to enjoy nature this way. Our kennel is called Reach for the Sky because in life you need to always set and reach for your goals. I have many dogs that run lead and, yes, they are all my favorites.

"I race because I love it and get such a thrill watching the dogs work. If you have never stood behind a dog team, I would suggest that you try it if the opportunity arises. Beware though, as it is habit forming.

"Our kennel began about 12 years ago when we moved to North Dakota. The year before we moved, our son, Michael, watched the movie, Iron Will, and saw an article from the Grand Forks Herald. His next comment was, ‘Mom, when we move to North Dakota can we get sled dogs?' I guess you can say, the rest is history.

"We were fortunate to meet Vern Halter and Susan Whiton early in our mushing experience. They helped Mike with getting some great dogs and direction as well as a lasting friendship.

"When Michael began intramural sports in middle school, the dogs became my passion. I began training and quickly decided I liked mid-distance better than sprint racing. Now I am working to experience ‘The Last Great Race,' Iditarod. I am planning to run Iditarod '10 in the great hope of finishing it. As many of you know, I ran Iditarod '09 and broke a sled between Finger Lake and Rainy Pass, so we are determined to finish in '10."

Nancy is a member of PEO, the ITC, ISDRA, ForxAmateur Radio Club and lists her hobbies as amateur radio, watercolor and photography.

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